1. Field
The present disclosure relates to grain drying systems and more particularly pertains to a new material drying system for effectively and efficiently removing moisture from a fixed volume of material, such as a grain positioned in a flexible bag located in a farm field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is common to attempt to remove moisture from a material, such as a quantity of grain after harvest, to bring the material to a desired level of moisture required for safe storage or processing of the grain. Commonly, the drying of grain involves the movement of air through the grain, and typically the air is heated by the burning of fossil fuels prior to moving the air through the grain stored in a bin. The drying of grain in this manner can be expensive when the initial level of moisture is high, and the cost can be unpredictable as the cost of the fuel rises and falls, particularly in the time of the year at harvest or shortly thereafter.
Others methods of drying are known, and one such method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,874 to Bruce which discussed a system in which air and vapor are drawn out of the interior of an air-tight storage enclosure. While basically a good concept, the system disclosed in the Bruce patent requires a high level of supervision and attention which is typically not practical for use in applications where the moisture removal process may take an extended period of time, as well as other impracticalities.